Cabinet



April 21, 1942.

R. w; ROSENDALE 2,280,542

QABINET Filed May 22, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l //v l E/V TOR R. W ROSENDALE I 3%(111 2) MW,

ATTORNEY v April 21, 1942.

R. w. ROSENDALE 2,280,542

. CABINET Filed May 22, 1940 s Shee ts-Sheet 2 INVENTOR By R. m ROSE NDALE ATTORNEY Ap ril 21, 1942. R. vi. R OSENDALE CABINET Filed May 22, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 g SCS I a fkscs SCR By R. 21695530 ATTOQNEV Patented Apr- 21, 1942 v I g CABINET Robert W. Rosendale, Westfield, N. J., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 22, 1940, Serial No. 336,543.

6 Claims.

This invention relates to cabinets, and more specifically to telephone booths of metallic construction.

' The object of the invention is to simplify and improve the construction of such cabinets while reducing their manufacturing cost.

According to the invention, a frame structure for the walls of the booth is formed consisting of a base, four corner posts secured to the base at their lower ends, and a combined ceiling and roof unit secured to the corner posts at their upper ends, the base consisting of a metallic plate having angle pieces welded to its underside with the sides opposite these angle pieces extending upwardly to form backing or supporting means for the side walls and the rear walls of the booth at their lower ends with means welded at the center of the metallic plate to serve in conjunction with the sides of the angle pieces as bearing means for supporting the latter in spaced relation to the surface of the floor on which the booth may rest. Means welded to the plate on its upper disposed side and at the corner thereof serve for securing the corner posts which are each formed of an angle bar having a substantially L-shaped cross-section with its longitudinal edges inwardly turned over the longitudinal edges of a metallic'strip disposed diagonally to the L-shaped bar to form with the latter a rigid assembly of tubular cross-section, the inwardly turned edge portions of the corner posts serving as abutting means for the walls in addition to the support afforded by the upward extending sides of angle pieces welded to the base plate.

The top of the booth is formed of four molding pieces or spacers each of a cross-section similar to the corner posts and welded along the peripheral edge of a metallic plate serving as a ceiling for the booth, while means secured to the upper disposed end of the corner posts serve for securing these corner posts to the ceiling plate and in spaced relation to each other at their upper ends. A second plate is secured to the horizontally disposed side of the molding pieces to form a roof for the booth, the ceiling having a centrally disposed opening for receiving a lighting fixture, it- Self having openings cooperating with openings formed by the roof and the corner posts for the ventilation of the booth.

The side walls and the rear wall for the booth each consists of a cover-like section forming the outer exposed surface of the walls and a plurality of box-like sections for each cover section, the box-like sections being formed of perforated metallic sheets and the casings thus formed serve for housing sound-absorbing material, the walls being clamped between means formed about the longitudinal edge of the corner posts and clamping elements screwed to the-corner posts interiorly of the booth. I

Other novel features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description and by the claims appended thereto, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is an elevation view of the booth shown I in perspective, the door being shown in its folded position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view-shown with the door in its unfolded position;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the booth taken on lines 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partial view of Fig. 3 enlarged showing portions of the side walls, the front corner posts and the door in its unfolded position;

Fig. 5 is a top view of one of the rear corner posts shown in cross-section with a portion of the rear wall and a portion of the left side wall clampedto that corner post; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the frame structure showing the corner posts with portions broken away and a portion of the leftside wall being shown clamped to the front and rear'right corner posts.

According to the invention the base for the booth consists of a metallic plate B best seen in Fig. 6 to the underside of which is secured as by welding a disc member D and the similar sides al, a2 and a3 of metallic angle bars, the other sides of, D2 and 173 of which extend perpendicular to the plane of plate 3 for a purpose-which will be hereinafter described in detail.

The front disposed edge of plate B at the entrance of the booth is turned downwardly an amount corresponding to the thickness of the material forming the sides al, a2 and a3 of the angle bars and to the thickness of the disc D welded to the underside of plate B at the center thereof to form in cooperation with the sides a! a2 and a3 of the angle bars bearing points for supporting the base spaced from the floor of the premises on which the booth may rest.

To the metallic plate B on the top disposed side and to the comers thereof are welded the angle pieces API, AP2, AP3 and AP4 shown in Figs. '3 and 6 provided for securing corner posts CPI, CPZ, 0P3 and CP4 at their lower disposed ends to the plate.

The corner posts CPI, CPZ, etc., are formed of angle bars similar to that of angle bars having the sides aI-bl, a2-b 2 and 113-123 used in connection with the construction of the booth base but each of these comer posts has its longitudinal edges inwardly bent or turned for clamping the longitudinal edges of an oblong plate or strip ST as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 serving to increase the rigidity of the corner posts thus formed and to provide means for receiving the screws ST of clamping elements STP provided for a purpose which will be hereinafter described in detail. The use of angle bars for the corner posts CPI, CP2, CP3 and P4 similar to the angle bars having sides aI-bI, a2-b2 and a3b3 used in connection with the construction of the base considerably simplifies the number of cutting and forming tools and other equipment which are necessary in other booth construction in which the base and the corner posts are so designed that the use of similar shaped material is not possible.

To each strip ST of corner posts CPI, CPZ, etc., a short distance from its upper disposed end is welded an angle piece at APE shown in Fig. 6 to which a metallic plate ST2 is secured as by a number of screws SC, this plate serving as a ceiling for the booth and holds these corner posts in spaced relation at their upper ends.

Plate ST2 is provided with a centrally disposed square opening S0 for mounting a lighting fixture LF shown in Fig. l and at the edges of this plate is secured as by welding the molding or spacer members SI, S2, S3 and S4 which are similar in construction to the corner posts CPI, 0P2, etc., from which they have been out. To the top disposed side of spacer members SI, S2, S3 and S4 and at the inner disposed edges thereof is secured as by screws SOS a metallic plate STP serving as a roof for the booth. The ceiling and the roof in cooperation with the top portions of the corner posts form air paths for the ventilation of the booth, such paths extending from the opening SO in the ceiling, the space between the ceiling plate STZ and the roof plate SIB and hence through the openings formed by the corner posts and the roof plate STB.

Each metallic strip ST of the corner posts CPI, CPZ, CP3 and 0P4 is provided with two parallel rows of screw-threaded holes STH for receiving screws SCR best seen in Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 which in cooperation with strips or clamping elements STP and the inwardly bent edges of the comer posts CPI, 0P2, CP3 and 0P4 serve for securing the side walls and the rear wall of the booth in assembled relation on the frame structure thus formed, while the strip STPI secured to the corner post AP4 forms one side of the entrance of the booth and an abutment for a door made of folding sections F and FI which will be hereinafter described in detail.

The side walls and the rear wall of the booth are each preferably formed of a cover element LS forming the outer disposed side of the wall and a plurality of box-like sections CS provided for housing sound-proofing material therebetween, and to the. metallic strip ST of corner post CPI as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is hinged the section FI of the door sections F and FI being each formed of a metallic sheet bent inwardly along its length to form a geometrical figure having a substantially rectangular crosssection with one edge overlapping the other edge and cooperating with a strip ab of angular crosssection for clamping glass windows GW as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

To the door section F which engages the abutment formed by the strip STPI when in position as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is mounted a bracket nb shown in Fig. 1 provided for pivotally mounting a member sm, preferably of nonmetallic material, for movement in a track GA secured as by welding to the underside of the ceiling ST2 to serve for guiding the folding movement of the door sections F and Fl in their folding and unfolding movements.

Provision is made to the corner post CPZ for mounting a bracket mb shown in Fig. 3 formed with a shelf sn, the bracket itself serving for mounting a telephone apparatus TA of the coin collector type while a stool as is securely mounted on the strip ST of corner post CP3 as shown in Fig. 3.

It is understood that minor changes may be made to the booth of the invention without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cabinet comprising a substantially rectangularly-shaped base, corner posts secured to said base at their lower ends, a rectangularlyshaped ceiling secured to said corner posts, said ceiling having molding members each of a length less than the sides of said ceiling, two of said corner posts cooperating with one of said molding members and said base to form a door opening, a rear wall and side walls formed of interfitting box and cover-like sections, a plurality of strips for clamping independently said rear wall and said side walls along their longitudinal edges to said corner posts, said corner posts forming complement of said molding members, and a door for the booth hinged to one of said corner posts.

2. In a cabinet, a base formed of a metallic plate having angle-shaped bars secured to its under side and at the edges thereof to form bearing points, a plurality of means secured to the opposite side of said plate, corner posts having their lower ends secured to said means, a ceiling for the cabinet secured to said corner posts at the upper ends thereof for holding them in assembled relation to each other, side walls, a rear wall, and a plurality of clamping strips for securing said walls in assembled relation to said corner posts, the vertical portions of said angle bars serving as backing support for said rear wall and said side walls at the lower ends thereof.

3. In a metallic cabinet, a base formed of a metallic plate having one of its edges bent to form a bearing portion at the entrance of the cabinet, means secured to the under side of said plate at the other peripheral edges to serve as bearing portions, said means having flanged portions extending at right angles to the plane of said plate, a plurality of means secured to the opposite side of said plate at the corners thereof, a corner post secured to each of said means, side walls and a rear wall secured to said corner posts, each of said flange portions serving as a backing for said rear wall and said side walls at their lower ends, a ceiling secured to said corner posts, and clamping means cooperating with means formed with said corner posts for securing said rear wall and side walls in assembled position thereon.

4. In a metallic cabinet,'a base, side walls and a rear wall, corner post members secured at their lower ends to said base, a metallic plate forming a ceiling for the cabinet, means carried by said corner posts at their upper ends for securing said ceiling, said base, said corner posts and said ceiling when assembled forming a self-supporting frame, means for securing said side walls and said rear wall to said corner posts following the assembly of the latter with said base and said ceiling, spacer members secured to said ceiling, a roof secured to said spacer members, said ceiling, said spacer members and said roof forming a compartment, a lighting fixture in said compartment, a door of folding sections hinged to one of said corner posts and a guiding member secured to said ceiling and engaged by one of the means carried by a door section for controlling the folding movement of the door, and a strip secured to one of said corner posts forming one side of the entrance of the cabinet and an abutment for the last-mentioned door section.

5. A metallic cabinet having side walls and a rear wall, a base comprising a metallic plate, angle members secured to the underside of said plate at the perpiheral edges thereof to form bearings and having their adjacent sides extending perpendicular from the plane of said plate to serve as backing supports for said rear and said side walls, and means secured at the center of said plate to serve in cooperation with said angle members to support said plate in spaced relation from the floor on which the cabinet may rest, one edge of said plate being bent perpendicularly to the plane of said plate and extending to a point corresponding to the thickness of. said angular members to form a bearing portion at the entrance of the cabinet.

6. A booth comprising a substantially rectangularly-shaped base, corner posts having their lower ends secured to said base, a ceiling for the booth secured to said corner posts a distance below the upper edges thereof, a roof, supporting members for said roof secured to said ceiling at the edges thereof, each of said supporting meme bers being of a length less than the sides of said ceiling, the portions of the corner posts which extend above their securing points to the ceiling forming the complement of the perimeter of said supporting members on said ceiling.

ROBERT W. ROSENDALE. 

